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World War II
The Second World War was a global conflict involving various nation-states of Earth in the years 1939 - 1945. The main combatants included the Allies (United States of America, Soviet Union, Great Britain, members of the British Commonwealth [[Canada] and Australia], and France) and the Axis Powers (the Nazi-controlled state of Germany, Italy and the Empire of Japan). Initially assuming an official position of neutrality, the United States fully entered the conflict after a Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. (TNG: "The Enemy") Following the Hirogen capture of the [[USS Voyager|USS Voyager]], one of the ship's holodecks was programmed with a simulation of this timeframe, occurring during the 1944 Allied invasion of Nazi-controlled territory in France. (VOY: The Killing Game, Part I, The Killing Game, Part II) The Second World War was immediately followed by the Cold War. (DS9: "Little Green Men", "Our Man Bashir") Alternate Timelines An alternate timeline exists in which Germany won the war due to the delayed entry into the war by the United States. This was caused by the prevention of Edith Keeler's death by Doctor Leonard McCoy, who had traveled to the past from the 23rd century. Keeler was an anti-war activist, whose activism had persuaded the United States to stay out of the war long enough to ensure a Nazi victory. This errant timeline was repaired by James T. Kirk and Spock. (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever") In another alternate timeline, the Na'kuhl apparently helped the Germans win the war (although whoever assassinated Vladimir Lenin in 1916 probably helped more, by removing the threat of the Communists to the Nazis). The Nazis subsequently sent troops and conquered Britain, the northeastern United States, a part of Russia extending past Moscow, and possibly parts of eastern Canada. The Nazis took over New York City after the US military ordered a hasty retreat to the Midwest, causing refugees to flood over the Brooklyn Bridge. (The Germans subsequently rolled over Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn and took over Washington, DC, and possibly parts of Virginia.) However, this was described as Germany "stretching too far, too quickly". Resistance fighters constantly attacked German supply lines and the frontlines were too thin. An American counterattack could - and was later trying to - break through the frontlines, when Captain Archer and the Enterprise-NX showed up in New York City. The Germans also faced problems in their stronghold in Africa, while Russian forces attempted to retake Moscow. Following the destruction of the Xindi superweapon by the crew of ''Enterprise'' in 2154, Commander Tucker, and Ensign Mayweather found themselves over what was apparently WWII-era San Francisco, being attacked by P-51 Mustangs, while Captain Archer was seen lying unconscious in a field hospital - under the observation of a member of a previously-unknown alien in a Nazi general's uniform. The Enterprise destroyed Vosk's time machine near the Brooklyn Bridge, thus closing this timeline and apparently preventing a major temporal war. This was one of the major campaigns of the Temporal Cold War. (ENT: Storm Front, Storm Front, Part II) Background Information Several people who worked on the original Star Trek series participated in the Second World War, including Gene Roddenberry, James Doohan, and Matt Jefferies. In "Bread and Circuses" (TOS), Spock states that 11 million people died in World War II. This, however, severely contradicts current data, which places the death toll anywhere from a low of 20 million (if only military is counted) to a high of over 70 million (if miliary and civilians are counted). Most counts settle on around 50 million or so. Spock may have been referring solely to civilian casualties as a result of "slavery" and "despotism" rather than the total war itself. 11 million is a number frequently given for civilian deaths solely from Nazi policies. This might explain the 6 million figure he gave for WWI, too, as that is about an average (slightly on the low side) estimate of civilian deaths out of a WWI total of about 16 million (est.). Related Links Luftwaffe, United States armed forces, Third World War, Edith Keeler, Spock, James T. Kirk, Leonard McCoy External Links * *Casualties - a discussion of WWII deaths Category:Conflicts World War II de:Zweiter Weltkrieg nl:Tweede Wereldoorlog